Health Care Reform Articles - June 21, 2011

BOSTON CAPITAL

Uncertain diagnosis

By Steven Syre

http://www.boston.com/business/healthcare/articles/2011/06/21/push_to_tie_health_cost_curbs_to_reduced_choice_at_a_crossroad/

Bachmann’s nonsensical Medicare-‘Obamacare’ claim

By Glenn Kessler

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/bachmanns-nonsensical-medicare-obamacare-claim/2011/06/20/AGkqpPdH_blog.html

Michelle Obama's common-sense healthcare advice is the real Obamacare

The first lady is promoting her Let's Move campaign, a national initiative to get kids to eat better, exercise more and spend less time in front of the TV.

http://www.latimes.com/health/healthcare/la-fi-lazarus-20110621,0,4830159.column

James Verone Robs Bank For Jail Health Care (VIDEO)

Posted: 06/20/11 07:13 PM ET

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/20/james-verone-robs-bank_n_880660.html?view=print

Gutting Maine’s health care system

By Dr. Erik Steele

Posted May 16, 2011, at 6:53 p.m.

http://bangordailynews.com/2011/05/16/opinion/gutting-maine’s-health-care-system/

Weaning the Hill off Medicare formula By: J. Lester Feder June 20, 2011 10:22 PM EDT

The Medicare physician payment formula is often attacked as a budget gimmick that holds down federal spending on paper, even though everyone knows the cuts it imposes will never come into effect. Weaning lawmakers off the device, however, is challenging not only because putting an end to it gets more expensive with every passing year but because it has failed at achieving the goal it was actually designed for: slowing cost growth. A permanent fix to the problem, experts say, requires not just being honest about what it will cost to pay doctors but also crafting a new payment structure that will succeed where the current formula failed. http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=F131E518-9642-4BAF-999B-10AC80D81D92